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. R. s. HAMMOND.

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R. s. HAMMOND.

CENIERING DEVICE.

l l l APPLICATION FILED JUNE II. 1917.

Patented De@.-2,1919.

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I I I R. S. HAMMOND.

fCENTERING DEVICE.

APPLICATloN FILED JUNE 11 l 7 'I 1,323,266. 9' Patented De@.2,1919.-

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l hummm .ROBERT S. HAMMOND, 0F GHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRIES, 0F CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION' OF NEW JERSEV l CENTERING DEVICE.

specification of Letters Patent.

VPatentcfiDec.e,wie.

Application filed June 11, 1917. Serial No. 173,999.

To all whom t may conce-m:

Be it known that l, ROBERT S. HAMMOND,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centering Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My present inventionv relatesto improvements in carriers and centering devices for vaiious purposes and more particularly for couplers employed in railroad rolling stock.

The. principal Objects of my present inventionare to provide an improved form of centering device for couplers; to provide an improved centering ,device construction avoiding the employment of pins, cotters, nuts, 'bolts or the like; 4to provide an iin' 'proved centering device which can be assembled or disassembled without the employment of tools; to provide Aan improved forni of gravity centering device; to provide an improved forni of combined carrier and' centering device; to provide improved means of mounting the centering device on the carrier; to provide improved means for controlling the movement of the centering 'device relatively to the carrier; to providev improved means for assembling and disasscmbling the centering device, carrier and striking casting; the provision'of a centering device, carrier and striking device con- Isisting of the fewest possible parts; the provision of means for preventing tilting` oi the centering device, soy as to maintain the same always in horizontal position; the provisionof a centering devicewhich cannot get loose or bcconic separated without thc.

entire device being removed i'roin position, which can only be accomplished manually, and 'generally to improve, simplify and clieapen thc construction of such centering devices, carriers and associated parts.

In attaining these and lother objects and advantages to be hereinafter described, I have provided a construction various enibodimcnts of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. Q is a plan view of the same centering devicey removed; 1

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line '3-3 o Fig. l;

by lifts the coupler with the result that the having its ends carried Figure l is a front view, partly in section oi a striking casting -with my improved carrier and centering device applied jtl'iereto; withthe Fig."-1` it 'cannot move longitudinally with F ig; 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig. l; 4

Fig. G is similar to F ig.`5 except that the y carrier has been moved into its disengaging position; l Fig. 7 is a side view similar to Fig. 5 showing the opposite end of thc carrier;

Fig. -8 is a front View, partly in section of a further forni of carrier and. centering device in position relatively to its striking casting; y i

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the saine withthe centering device removed;

Fig. l0 is a Section on the line 10-l0 of Fig. 8; Figs. 11 andl l2 are side views of the construction shown in Fig. 8 viewed from the right hand side showing the carrier and centering device in tivo diii'crent positions.; Fig. 13 is a. side view ofthe construction shown in Fig. 8 viewed from the left hand side;

lFig. ll is a trout.y view partlyin section oi a still further torni ot' construction;

Fig. l5 isa plan view oi' the same with thc centering device removed; i'

Fig. 1G is a vertical section oir the line 11H16 ot' Fig. 14; l

Fig. 17 is' a vertical section on the1liiieI wendingen.

Considering first the torin of construction shown in Figs. l to 7, 20 and 2l represent the iside portions of the striking casting, 22 thc carricr,`23 the centering device. The ccntering device `is constructed so that if it is moved one side or other from the central position it is automatically lifted and therei centering device with the coupler always tends through the action of gravity, to vretain its central positiOn, While yet allowing the coupler to move 1aterally.always in a horizontal plane when .the ear curve. The carrier consists is rounding .a

of a single castingI in apertures` 24 and 25 ofthe striking casting. The carrier and Vthese apertures in the strikingeasting are so constructed i'elatifvelyto each other that whcnvther carrier is in the position shown in gagement with the striking casting. The means employed in the form of construction illustrated for detachably locking the carrier and striking casting together are shown clearly in Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 7.

It will be seen that the carrier comprises four projecting` portions which engage the walls of the striking casting on one side or other of the apertures 24 and These project-ing portions are respectively 26, Q7, Q3 and 29. It will be observed on inspection of Figs. 2 and 7 that the projection 2G prevents movement of the carrier toward the left, and as will be described later, the car rier is disengaged from the striking casting by movement to the. right.

The projecting portions 27 and 23 grip the part. 3:2 of the striking casting therebetween. The part 29 engages the part 30 of the striking casting (Fig. 5). B v lifting the left hand side of the carrier and sliding the latter to the left as shown in Fig. 5, the right hand portion 3l of the carrier may be, moved clear of the projection 32 so that. the part 3l maybe lifted into the position shown in Fig. 6 in which position the projections 2T and 29 are brought into register with the late 'al extensions and 34 of the aperture 25. In this position the. carrier may be withdrawn. The 'part 31 is beveled off along its upper edge and the part. 3Q is given a com'- plenientary form. One purpose of this construction is to check upward movement of the carrier b v vibration and shocks. Another purpose is to provide the desired locking action Without necessitating that the carrier be lifted more than `the clearance between the coupler and the top of the' striking casting. ltwill he observed that the aperture 24 is made of considerably greater height than the thickness of the carrier QQ so as to allow the carrier to be tilted in one direction asshown in Fig. 5 and then in thc opposite direction as shown in Fig. (l in order to bring the parts into disengaging position. The method of inserting the carrier into the striking casting is of course thc eXact reverse. of the method of removing it. In order to facilitate insertion or removal of the carrier. recesses 35 are arranged in the ends of the, carrier adapted to act as hand holds in gripping the end of the carrier.

The centering device consists of a carriage 23 adapted to slide to and fro along the carrier. It will be seen from Figs. 3 and 4 that the centering device does not rest directl v on the carrier, but on balls or |n'eferabl rollers 36 carried by the carrier. 'Fliese rollers 36 are arranged to run on downwardly curved tracks 37 on the carrier. the tracks being arranged symmetrically on either side of the center line of the striking casting. Similarly, but reversely curved. tracks 38 are arranged on the under side of the spring device. The, tracks or rolling surtaces ma)v be made of different material from the metal composing the carrier or centering device and may take the form of hard steel inserts cast integral with or riveted in the remainder of the carrier or centering device.

It will be evident from inspection of Fig. l that movement Yof the centering device laterall)v in either direction will produce a lifting action on the centering device. The path described by an)v part of the centering device is approximately an arc of a circle.

ln order to prevent disengagement of the centering device from the carrier while in operative position and to prevent .tilting of the centering device relativelv7 to the carrier, the centering device is provided with downwardly extending arms 39 carrying inwardly projecting ends 40 which engage they under surface. of the part 41 of the carrier.

This part 41 has a substantially segmental lower surface aud its curvature corresponds with that of the arc through which the centering device moves relatively to the carrier. ("onserp1entl v whatever position the centering device ma v assume relatively to the carrier. the parts 40 are in contact. or substantially in contact. with the curved surfaces 41, and the centering device. consequently cannotI be disengaged from the carrier while in operative position.

'The downwardl)7 extending arms 39 form part of an m'erhanging edge or lip 57, the lower surface of which is lower than the up per surface of the raised edges 58 on the carrier on either side of thevtrack 37 in 0rder to exclude dirt from the rollers and the tracks on which thev run.

Tlie"`\ei'tical overlapping portions 57 of the carriage and 58 of the carrier, serve as stops to so limit motion between the. carriage and carrier as to protect the rollers. Furthermore the clearance between the arms fftand the sides ot' the carrier. is preferably `less than the clearance between the ends of the rollers and the edges 58 of the carrier to take up any,v side thrust in'uiarted to 'the centering device and relieve the rollers of such side motion.

The centering device is provided with an upper supporting surface 42 for the coupler with lateral wings -l-3 adapted to engage. the sides of the coupler. Suitable recesses 44- are provided in the portions 20 and Q1 of the lstriking casting for receiving the Wings 43 at the extreme ends of the path of travel of the, centering device. These Wings are of greater height than the clearance between the top of the coupler and the striking casting when the coupler is in its central and therefore its lowest position.

Tn ordervto enable the centering device to be brought into engagement with the carrier, cutaway portions 45 are provided, through trated the centering device cannot be brought into engagement with the carrier after the Vlatter has been placed in position in the striking casting, as the centering device cannot be moved suiiiciently far to the right to carrier.

bring ,the projections 40 over'the cutaway 'parts v4.5. The centering device may however be brought into engagement with the carrier before the left hand end of the latter has lbeen inserted within the aperture 24:' as

Ain this position the carrier may be slid to thev left, without obstruction by the projection 26, sufficiently to bring the. projections 40 over the cutaway parts 45.

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 1, 12 and 13 one aperture 60 in the striking casting is made large enough to allow the carrier and centering device tobe laterally Y removed through `the striking casting as a single unit. Otherwise the construction is simllarto that shown in Figs. l to 7.

In the form of construction shown in Figs. let to 1 7 a somewhat different form of carrier is employed. The lower surface of the carrier 50 is curved throughout its entire width to act as a uide for the projections 51 of the centering evice. Instead of one air of projections as in the form shown in I* igs. 1 to 7 there are two pairs. Four cu-taway parts 52 are provided in the` edge of the lVith this form of construction also the centering device cannot be placed in position on the carrier wihen the latter is in position in the striking casting. In this case the centering device maybe brought into engagement with the carrier before any part of the carrier has been inserted in the Striking casting.

To allow the centering device and carrier tobe removed or inserted as a unit the aperture 54 is made larger than is otherwise neccssaryto allow the oppositeend of the carrier to be dropped sufficiently to cnable'the wings of the centering device to clear the lower odge 56 of the striking casting.

While I have shown and described my invention as used in connection with car couplers, yet it will 'be understood that it is adapted for other uses and l therefore do not desire to be restricted .to the particularl use herein specifically disclosed.

Having illustrated its use,'what I claim as'newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A centering device for couplers or the like comprising in combination a carrier member, a carriage supporting the .coup-ler carried lby said carrier member, said carthus described my invention an coy riage having operative engagement with an upper and an under surface of. said carrier member whereby vertical movement of sald carriage relatively to said carrier member is. restricted, and inclined Suriaceslonfboth'. j said' carriage and said carrier extending y 'A substantially from the center line of the car upwardly in both lateral directions whereby lateral movement of the cou ler away from the center line of the car li ts the carriage and the coupler. I

2. A device of the character described comprising `in combination a. supporting member, a carrier member, al carriage mounted on sald carrier member for supporting the coupling, said Supporting-member having apertures adapted to receive the ends of said carrier member, and projecting portions on said carrier member adapted to engage opposite faces of lsaid supporting member and thereby prevent accidental lon gitudinal movement of said carrier member relatively to said supporting member, one of said apertures being of greater height than the comibined height of said carrier and carriage and having a lateral extension adapted to allow of the passage of said projecting portions and said carriage When the carrier member is lifted. l

3; A device of the character described com )risin in .combination al su ortin member, a carrier member, a. carriage 4mounted on 'said carrier member .forvsupporting the coupling, said supporting member and carrier member havin linterlocking portions, and meansfor positively preventing disengagement of said carriage from said carrier, while the latter is in interlocking member.

of May, 1917.

ROBERT s. HAMMOND.

position with said supporting- Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 22nd day 

